2014-15 NHL Playoff Odds

2014-15 NHL Playoff Odds

With the NFL season underway, most other sports are forced to take a backseat in the hearts and minds of bettors. Perhaps that’s what has allowed the NHL season to creep up with the stealth and silence of a serial killer in a horror movie. Although it seems as though the NHL season ended quite recently, pre-season action actually begins this Sunday (9/21) with the regular season opening play on October 8th.

Bovada, which is considered to be one of the most square sportsbooks, posted a prop bet in which bettors could simply say “Yes” or “No” to the question of whether each NHL team will make the playoffs. The table below displays the current odds for all 30 teams and will be continually updated before the start of the season.

Team

Yes

No

Chicago Blackhawks

-1100

+625

Boston Bruins

-1000

+600

Pittsburgh Penguins

-850

+525

Anaheim Ducks

-800

+500

St. Louis Blues

-800

+500

Los Angeles Kings

-800

+500

Tampa Bay Lightning

-300

+240

San Jose Sharks

-300

+240

Minnesota Wild

-280

+220

New York Rangers

-275

+215

Montreal Canadiens

-250

+195

Detroit Red Wings

-180

+150

Colorado Avalanche

-155

+125

Dallas Stars

-150

+120

Philadelphia Flyers

-135

+105

Columbus Blue Jackets

-135

+105

Washington Capitals

-130

+100

New York Islanders

-115

-115

New Jersey Devils

-105

-125

Toronto Maple Leafs

-105

-125

Vancouver Canucks

+120

-150

Edmonton Oilers

+170

-210

Ottawa Senators

+190

-230

Carolina Hurricanes

+190

-230

Florida Panthers

+250

-325

Nashville Predators

+250

-325

Winnipeg Jets

+250

-325

Arizona Coyotes

+275

-350

Calgary Flames

+300

-400

Buffalo Sabres

+400

-600

It’s not surprising to see that the teams with the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup — i.e. the Blackhawks, Bruins, Penguins and Ducks — also have the best odds to make the playoffs. However, there are a few discrepancies including the Arizona Coyotes who have the 10th worst future odds but the 3rd worst playoff odds. Perhaps this speaks to the depth of the Western Conference and specifically the Pacific Division which features elite teams like the Ducks, Sharks and Kings along with a much-improved Canucks team.

It may also noteworthy to point out that the Kings (+900) have better odds of winning the Stanley Cup than the Penguins (+1000), but Pittsburgh actually has better odds of making the playoffs (-850) than Los Angeles (-800). Once again, this likely speaks to the depth and talent in the Western Conference.

Which eight teams do you think will make the playoffs in each conference? Are any teams being undervalued by oddsmakers? Please leave any thoughts, comments, or questions in the section below.